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Journalism BA(Hons)

2024-25 (also available for 2025-26)

Undergraduate Open Days
Undergraduate Open Days

Start date

16 September 2024

Duration

3 years full-time
4 years inc. placement year

Entry requirements

A Level - BBC-BCC

BTEC - DMM-MMM

See full entry requirements

Places available (subject to change)

30

About the course

Reasons to study

1.You’ll be taught by working journalists (who can offer you a real insight into the industry), who will give you the chance to develop your skills. 

2.Work placement opportunities help you build your professional experience in journalism. 

3. Journalism at Huddersfield is top in Yorkshire for Assessment and Feedback, scoring 93%, based on experimental statistics from the National Student Survey 2023. 

Are you passionate about people and stories? Do you want to find out what’s really going on in our society – and tell the world about it? If so, an exciting career in journalism could begin with our Journalism BA(Hons).

It’s our job to help you develop the skills and knowledge you’ll need to reach the audiences of the future. During your studies, we’ll support you as you explore this fast-paced world – and equip you to enter it, as a rising media star.

Not only will you master researching, reporting, interviewing, and writing, but you’ll also broaden your intellectual horizons and begin to see the bigger picture, with high-level thinking and analytical approaches.

Why study Journalism BA(Hons)

On this course, you’ll create all kinds of professional content – from articles, magazines, and blog posts, to video and audio reports, and social media output. All the while you’ll be supported by our top academics, who will help you develop a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges in the journalism industry of the future.

Thanks to optional, specialist modules, you can tailor your degree to your own interests and career ambitions, building your skills in the process. You’ll also meet a wide range of guest tutors and speakers, allowing you to network with industry experts.

Journalism at Huddersfield is top in Yorkshire for Assessment and Feedback, scoring 93%, based on experimental statistics from the National Student Survey 2023.

You could join previous students with a career in industry, too; past graduates have gone on to work within digital marketing, social media, and public relations. You could work within print journalism, digital journalism, PR, and communications, or within another related area within popular culture.

Course detail

Core modules:

Analysing Content

Analysing Content introduces you to the analysis of fiction and non-fiction visual media, from Hollywood films and television series to news and advertising. You will learn how to conduct more complex analysis of the meaning conveyed through media texts as well as their connection to cultural ideology.

Digital Communication Technology

Your phone screen may be the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you check at night, and in this module we look at the role of technology in shaping our world. We combine critical analysis of key platforms and technologies, from Google and YouTube to Facebook and Twitter, with teaching you the skills to use those tools to create professional media content.

Journalism Law Ethics and Policy

This module introduces you to essential media law, ethics and policy knowledge needed for a career in journalism. It will help you understand the structures in which journalists and their employers operate, and the ways in which specific legal, ethical and regulatory frameworks impact the material created and published by media companies. You will learn about these so you can begin to effectively apply them in the context of creating journalism content.

Digital Audio Production

The module introduces you to a range of audio formats and technologies: mobile, online, radio and podcast. You will be provided with the essential recording, editing and studio skills necessary to produce an audio output, and to understand the language and concepts required to critically evaluate audio content.

Writing for Journalism

Telling stories is at the heart of all kinds of journalism jobs, from news reporting to music reviewing and covering live sport. Here, we help you improve your writing, so you’re comfortable researching and writing pieces in a range of styles. Analysing professional examples will help you get a handle on what you’ll be aiming to match as your skills develop.

Digital Video Production

The module introduces you to a range of video formats and technologies: mobile, online, television and video. You will be provided with the essential recording and editing skills necessary to produce a video output, and to understand the language and concepts required to critically evaluate video content.

Entry requirements

BBC-BCCat A Level .

112-104 UCAS tariff points from a combination of Level 3 qualifications.

Merit at T Level.

DMM-MMM in BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma.

  • Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits at Merit or above.
  • 112-104 UCAS tariff points from International Baccalaureate qualifications.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our Where are you from information pages.

Other suitable experience or qualifications will be considered. For further information please see the University's minimum entry requirements.

Placements


Our Journalism degree includes two exciting placement opportunities. Students are encouraged to undertake an optional one-year (48 weeks) placement in Year 3. We support our students in finding suitable placement opportunities in the Media Industries and beyond. During the placement year you are supported by an academic tutor and have the opportunity to build professional experience invaluable for your final year of study and future career.

The final year compulsory placement module also gives you the chance to put your skills into practice over a 80 hour period. You'll spend time working with an external client, such as a newspaper, broadcaster or production company, or in Public Relations.

Previous placement providers have ranged from magazines and newspapers such as the Huddersfield Examiner and Barnsley Chronicle, to national opportunities at the Press Association, as well as corporate clients seeking professional video work and agencies in the fast-developing field of social media and include Daisybeck Productions and Madison MK.

Being there and seeing first-hand how a PR office works, together with the unbelievable amount of work and dedication that goes into the job, allowed me to understand the field I hope to go into.

RebeccaHaslam

Rebecca Haslam, Journalism BA(Hons) completed placement at Chuff Media

Your Career


A selection of companies that have employed Huddersfield graduates from the Journalism BA(Hons) course in recent years include the Press Association** and a wide range of local and regional newspapers and magazines. Others have moved into public relations and social media with agencies across the north of England and further afield. Graduates have also used their journalism skills to begin careers in advertising, recruitment and the public services, including as college media tutors teaching the next generation of students.

*Percentage of our undergraduate students from this course go on to work and/or further study within fifteen months of graduating (HESA Graduate Outcomes 2019/20, UK domiciled, other activities excluded).

**Source: LinkedIn

80% Graduates employed*

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.

Research excellence

Research plays an important role in informing all our teaching and learning activities. Through research our staff remain up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, which means you develop knowledge and skills that are current and highly relevant.

The subject area of Media, Journalism, Film and Drama at the University of Huddersfield is home to one of Europe's leading centres for the study of participatory culture, fans and popular media. The Centre for Participatory Culture brings together preeminent researchers in the study of popular culture with specialism such as screen industries and branding, media sport in the digital age, music festivals and music tourism, science fiction fandom, Regional Reality TV Drama, identity and globalisation, and the rise of fandom and anti-fandom in politics. The centre also explores the rise of digital media technologies and platforms, including social media and their impact on media industries and media representations, including on forms of journalism. We also assess the role of these technologies in changes to political participation and democracy.

Important information

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

Changes to option modules:

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes:

We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment, or pandemics.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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